Ttaskmaster

Yes. Don't crash. Seriously though, is there anything specific you'd like to know? There's enough info here to write a book. A quick use of the Search function will turn up a shedload of threads.

He's actually Ray Mears and I'm MacGuyver!!

EIGHTY FECKING QUID???!!! Friends of mine made his own out of some plastic piping - Cut in half laterally and shape ends to go on bars. Tape in place, job done. His logic was that at the time he needs them (ie Winter) it's mostly dark and no-one will see his Wildstar.

Always, always, always to the right? Might not be just the wind, then... You had the bike serviced since you've had it?

Can you explain more on this bit. I'm curious. Riding in wind isn't an exact science. Heavier bikes do help. That's the first thing I noticed in the transition from 125 to 650. First, make sure all your pockets are closed and there's little chance of the wind getting inside your clothing. Otherwise, you'll have what I call the Parachute Effect. Wind catches inside your kit and inflates you up like a parachute, dragging you off course. Second, experience. After riding for a bit you'll start learning to respond better to the sudden wind blasts. It's frightening at first, but the appropriate level of compensation will come with judgement. Be aware that half the time (especially on unfaired bikes) it's not the wind blowing the bike, but the wind blowing YOU. Your movement as you bluster about in the wind blast will affect the bike. For now, be aware of windy days, be ready to take action and learn to recognise places where the wind may be highr - Exposed areas, high bridges, big gaps in hedgerows etc...

Does the vest not also have thermal qualities, then? Which brings me to my second quote... "There is no such thing as bad weather... only a bad choice of clothing". Common saying in Norway.

Easy - Who's the most expensive?

I'm one of these 'Southerner' things you talk of... But since I was born almost as far north as Aberdeen, in a little village off the A830 (now a fecking tourist trap, thanks to Harry Potter), I seem to be suffering a lot less from the cold. But I'm not stupid, either - A heated vest (he still ain't told me which brand ) is a great idea. "Any brainless feckwitt can put up with hardship, but a good soldier makes himself comfortable under any conditions". Same goes for bikers - Freeze your fingers off if it makes you feel tough, but if ever you need to Emergency Brake you will feel a right pratt when your fingers are seized and you can't operate the lever properly. SMASH!!!!

"If I'd known the headmaster would spank you that badly, I'd have done my own homework, mate....."

I disagree entirely. I think our lovely government is doing a great job and if they increase the price of petrol (most of which is tax anyway), they will have more money with which to run our country even better. If the 51 million (approx) mindless morons who complain to hell and back about the price of petrol, but still continue buying it, really want to change something - All they have to do is stop buying it. Seriously, seriously, seriously - You want it to stop, you stop it. Within a single year of no-one buying petrol and diesel, the price will hit the floor. If it were up to me, I'd ban the lot of you from buying it. Yes, your lives will be affected, so will every business, corporation, farm, service and private individual. But with no-one buying it, the entire country (and some very influential corporations) will pressure the fuel companies into dropping prices pretty sharpish. But it'll never happen because the British public are nothing more than bleating sheep, waiting for someone else to sort their problems out.

Which brand? Photos!!!

Right - Those will allow you to (fairly easily) run electrical wires down inside your bars and through the risers. But NOT the control cables. You can get completely internalised cables too - My colleague has them on his custom Victory. However, this is very expensive and a "complete bitch to work on if something goes wrong". I believe the Drags have 22mm diameter bars...

No idea, TBH... Have you a link to the ones with cable routing?

Hmmm..... Not had to deal with chokes on Drags before... Well first, check that it works. Start the engine up and get it running nice and warm. Then slowly slide the choke out - The revs should increase. If you slide the choke out quickly, the bike will probably cut out. I'll have a gander at my 650 and see what's what.

Forwarded message: "All Some help please, I am currently running a camp in Helmand Province in Afghanistan and I would like to get as many people as possible to send my blokes( many are v keen motorbikers) your read bike mags. I appologises for the direct approach but due to having to cater for everyones tastes bike mags are not delivered as part of our Operational welfare package. The postage is free (up to 2kg), all it would cost is the envelope. The postal address if you would like to help is: QM TFH Lashkar Gar BFPO 715 Any help will be greatly appreciated and all mags will be read many times. Thanks, Major Andy Lothian"

Dunno aught about headlights... I wired my Hot Grips to the system, via a 5-pin relay and a switched live. Same effect, but I can also wire in many other accessories and still only operate them with the ignition on.

Good for her. Best of luck. Slap round the face for any bloke who objects.

Another 'foul-up' by a government agency, huh? Having worked in one myself, I'm surprised anything gets done. Like the NHS, there's so much red tape and continually revised regulations being forced upon out-of-date systems by ignorant management and consultants, who don't bother to understand what the job requires, that everything is a mess.

Welcome to the world of proper jobs!!

In short, take the old one out and put a new one in. For a more detailed description, look at my posts here: Clicky here Once you have the tank off, keep that bit of string tied to the top end of the old Speedo Cable. Remove the rubber bushes and the two small plastic body panels at the front (one nut each). Undo the cable at the front wheel. Tie one end of the new cable to the bit of string. Then thread the old cable out, dragging the new one into place. Take it slowly and easy - This is a fiddly job and you need to bend and guide both cables around the electrics to avoid ripping them apart. Long needlenosed pliers and a girlfriend with small fingers will help. Once replaced, reassemble in reverse order. Any questions, give us here a shout.

But the media are also restricted on what they publicise. That much is evident. They also ommit whatever is boring, in order to sell papers/boots ratings etc.

One more difference - The Americans are lucky-bastard enough to be offered very funky paint schemes as standard options. If you want one in the UK, you have to import the bugger

They keep us busy arguing about who got which version of the truth, while behind our backs they do what they want.....

Take off the back seat, then the front. Then unbolt the four bolts at the front end of the mudguard (fender), unplug the electrics and you're done. Make sense?

I suspect it is like the hospitals, in that some fuckwitt in charge and/or some consultant, who know nothing about how things really happen, came up with a completely unrelated gameplan and implemented it, only to find that the people running the departments would never be able to make it work. Something like, the problem is that the tyres have fallen off, so let's polish the headlight.